)
Deepti Sharma in India women vs Australia women. Photo: X
The women in blue will be hoping to win their first World Cup title at the senior level, having finished as runners-up twice in ODI World Cups (2005 and 2017) and once in the T20 World Cup (2020). Ahead of the start of their campaign in the UAE, Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma opened up about the team’s mindset and goals for the T20 World Cup.
The all-rounder, who was a part of India’s ODI World Cup squad in 2017 and T20 World Cup squad in 2020, has represented India in five Tests (319 runs, 20 wickets), 89 ODIs (2019 runs, 106 wickets), and 117 T20s (1020 runs, 131 wickets).
In her interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Deepti said the team is not thinking about its past performances but is hoping to replicate the performance of the Indian men’s team, who ended the nation’s decade-long ICC trophy drought at the senior level by winning the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year.
Deepti said the team is not in any kind of pressure as it has performed well in the recent bilateral series and has proved that they are capable of defeating any team at any given time. She spoke about the 2017 ODI World Cup final in England, where they lost by a mere nine runs against the home team, failing to capture World Cup glory once again.
She noted that despite India’s loss, there were numerous positives to take from the match. Everything shifted after the final, with an increasing number of people beginning to recognise her. She expressed optimism that if they were able to secure the T20 World Cup title in the UAE, it would inspire more women in India to take up cricket, thereby furthering the growth of the sport.
She said that despite India’s loss, there were several positives to take from the match. She said that everything changed after the final as more and more people started to recognise her, and if they can win the T20 World Cup title in the UAE, more and more women in India will want to play cricket, which will help the sport grow even further.
Deepti believes winning the World Cup will give little girls from even small cities in the country the confidence to pursue cricket as a career. The team is ready to take on the challenge by not giving up and delivering the best they can in the UAE.
First Published: Sep 26 2024 | 3:35 PM IST
